It was a game where the Toronto Argonauts tried to get Chad Owens, left, involved. The CFL’s most outstanding player had his usual 199 combined yards on 18 touches, but Lin-J Shell (2) and the Lions defence, led by Solomon Elimimian, were more than up for the challenge (PNG/Mark Van Manen)

It was a night where the loudest player on the field was hoping to have the biggest impact. It was two of the quietest members of the B.C. Lions who helped put the clamps on Khalif Mitchell and the Toronto Argonauts.

Linebacker Solomon Elimimian and slotback Nick Moore aren’t likely in line to host their own talk shows any time soon, but their work at B.C. Place Stadium was just what the Lions needed Thursday.

Elimimian led a punishing performance by the Lions defence, which started the game with Adam Bighill but might not have his fellow linebacker around for awhile thanks to a second half injury.

Moore showed why the Lions had no hesitation to start the season without Geroy Simon in their offence with a solid first half receiving effort that gave the Lions just enough breathing room to post a 24-16 CFL win before 25,255 fans.

B.C. got the desired response for starters after a miserable opening week performance in Calgary but only nursed a 14-3 lead into halftime.

The return of Solomon Elimimian was noticeable early, and working with fellow linebacker Adam Bighill the Lions were determined not to let the Argos get untracked.

There was little disguising the Argos’ game plan offensively – get the ball to either tailback Chad Kackert or slotback Chad Owens. The two had all but three of the Argos’ touches in the first half. But the Lions, led by a vastly improved pass rush and better work in the secondary, held the Argos to five first downs in the first two quarters.

As has been the case ever since he became the Lions offensive leader, Travis Lulay was effective early. Lulay’s favourite target was slotback Nick Moore, who had six catches for 107 yards by halftime. Moore set the Lions up for their only score of the first half, a six-yard scoring toss to Courtney Taylor, with a 43-yard reception earlier on the drive.

“He’s playing with a ton confidence,” said quarterback Travis Lulay after the game of Moore. “He wants one-on-one situations and as a quarterback that’s what you want too. This is his third year in the system and right now he’s 100 per0cent assignment pure.”

Moore wasn’t the only offensive contributor, but became more of a factor nonetheless in the Lions offence after Shawn Gore was knocked out of the game. Gore was on the receiving end of a wicked shot to the head by Toronto defender Janzen Jackson and was taken out of the game with an apparent concussion.

It got worse early in the third quarter, when Bighill was taken off the field on a cart after he suffered a possible broken fibula during another Kackert run.

What the Lions needed at that point was a long drive, and though it didn’t result in a touchdown, the defence stayed on the sideline as Hugh O’Neill kicked his third field goal, giving B.C. a 17-3 lead.

“We weren’t disiplined enough not to take penalties,” Argos coach Scott Milanovich said. “We let them do whatever they wanted defensively because they had a lead.”

But because the Lions couldn’t finish the game off until Eric Taylor’s late forced fumble, the Argos still had life when Jalil Carter picked off a Lulay pass and Janzen Jackson blocked an O’Neill punt.

But the Lions defence again held the Argos to a pair of Noel Prefontaine field goals. And they put an exclamation mark on the night midway when Andrew Harris ran right past Mitchell from four yards out to make the first week disaster in Calgary nothing more than a memory.

“I thought we were really strong for 50 minutes,” said Harris. “That drive in the fourth was huge.”

It was the 1000th game in franchise history but a result which has been all too familiar to the Argos, who haven’t won in Vancouver since Aug. 9, 2002. The Lions open a back-to-back series on the road against the Edmonton Eskimos July 13.

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